Mother's plea to dog owners after son mauled by rottweiler
- Published
The 12-year-old and his mother cannot be identified for legal reasons
The mother of a boy who was mauled by a rottweiler is urging people to keep their dogs on leads.
The 12-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was left with puncture wounds in his left forearm, resulting in nerve damage and scars.
His mother says the former "animal lover", from Ayrshire, is now scared of dogs. She is calling for stricter checks on pet owners.
The dog's owner was fined £300 and the animal was put down.
The schoolboy was on his way to the park to meet friends when he was attacked.
"I was just walking when I heard a car horn and when I turned round the dog was on me," he said.
"I don't remember much but it was really scary."
The 12-year-old was saved by nearby workers on a break who were able to chase the dog away and lift the youngster over a wall to safety.
He was taken to hospital where he was kept in for two nights and received surgical treatment.
The schoolboy has suffered nerve damage in his forearm
"The nurses said they'd never seen a dog bite like it," his mother said.
It took around 12 weeks for the wounds to heal and the attack has led to significant scarring and nerve damage.
The boy said: "I don't have much feeling around the bite marks and when I touch the skin it's like I'm touching someone else's arm.
"I definitely don't like dogs anymore and now I cross the street if I see any dog coming towards me and I don't like going to the park or beach where I see dogs off a lead."
'Animal lover'
His mother is calling on owners to be more careful with their pets.
"Before the attack my son was the biggest animal lover in the family but that's now changed - he's now even wary around dogs he's known for years like his gran's dogs," she said.
The owner of the rottweiler was prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
At Ayr Sheriff Court, Nicholas Stewart, a 27-year-old from Ayr, was fined £300. The dog was ordered to be destroyed.
The boy's mother said: "No-one wants to see a dog destroyed but the authorities must have had reason to believe there was a future risk.
"What is strange to me is people who adopt dogs from charities have to go through screening, background checks or home visits. Yet when buying a dog privately or online, any person can buy any dog without any checks.
"At the very least, keeping a dog on a lead in public places is a reasonable place to start in responsible dog ownership."
She added: "What happened could have been much worse and I hope people learn from this."